Rayne Moments
by RingPrincess
Summary: A series of drabblesshort fics of the 'Rayne' moments seen during the series and the movies, speculations about River and Jayne's feelings and thoughts. Serenity to Safe, Ariel.
1. Chapter 2

She Feels

By RingPrincess

She's waking up, not entirely sure where she is, but she feels. She can't not. She can't push it back. It's too early, too soon and she doesn't know the how or the way of it. She can hear with her ears and see with her eyes, but she hears and sees with her mind as well. She feels. Surprise, anger, shock, worry, stunned lust. She's hears and she hears, who, why, how dare, oh dear, mei-mei, cute. And it's too much and she screams and someone's holding her and saying her name.

"River, River, it's okay."

"Simon."

She allows herself to be taken away and into a cold blue room where Simon gives her drugs and makes her sleep more. And she's asleep but she can still hear, she can't not.

"It's a girl, cute too. I don't think she's all there though, but not all of her has to be." And there it is again. Hot and earthy, not so stunned and fully aware of what it is and how things could go, tab a to slot b. She doesn't know who it is, but she feels his rough edges and his potential. She feels. She can't not and she knows things that are under the surface and locked away. She sleeps and she feels.

--

He stands on the catwalk and stares down at the cargo bay below. His brow furrows as he stares at the pattern made by the grating. The hairs rise on the back of his neck and he looks over. New Doc's crazy sister is standing there in a too large blouse and tight black shorts. She's staring around the hold as if it holds some secrets. And it does, and he knows it.

She looks at him, unblinkingly. "Don't think she's all there," She says and looks around the ship again. The hairs on his arms rise. She smiles. "But not all of her has to be to make a home."

She walks away without a backward look and Jayne stares after her and he shivers. "Gorram girl."


	2. Chapter 3

Consequences

By RingPrincess

She tried to warn him. "Won't stop. Won't stop. They'll just keep coming until they take back what you took. Two by Two, hands of blue." But he doesn't understand. No one understands. And she needs him of all to understand because if he doesn't there will be consequences. And she's still not sure how it will all work out. Of course, if they did understand anything they'd just think that she was discussing herself. Addressed to the room at large it would seem that way, but addressed to the big man on the opposite bed. It was supposed to mean something else. Something he'd be comfortable only thinking about in dark black rooms and then he'd have to be alone. Does he know what he's stolen, with his rough edges? Of course not, but there are consequences to these sorts of things and she's still working the solutions. The numbers don't add up. The blue is too close and they go on with the problem right in front of them. This problem will have consequences too, but her problems too close and the blue is making her garbled.

He doesn't understand. He must understand or there will be consequences, penalties, costs. The staring stops and he glared at her and told her to shut up in that intense way with the unspoken or else on the end. Hid in the insults and questions of games.

So she shuts up and stared back him over her hands, almost daring him to try, but also scared of what he might do with these games of his. She's unsure of the consequences. Of course, not all consequences are bad.


	3. Chapter 4

Lost Puppy

By RingPrincess

She follows him around like a little lost puppy and he pretends not to notice. He does of course, he notices everything and if he didn't well, it could mean his life one day. Just cause he weren't book smart didn't mean he was stupid. He could say it was the change or air pressure when she entered a room or he could feel her eyes burning through the hulls of ships to watch him. He knows that where he goes she'll follow. It's only a matter of time and to get away from the bigger puppy, her brother.

Above the cargo bay, she's muttering something watching them play, eyes on the ball or on him. She trails them to the bridge, staying out of the way fiddling with her hair, muttering something about this other ship. And he's got a bad, bad feeling about this. Something in his guts tells him that they should leave this one alone, but the captain the captain and if he says go, they go. Sides, who's gonna listen to him, Jayne, anyways, and so it's over to the other ship and gorram if the girl don't follow. Of course, for some odd reason he helps her a bit, plays a neat trick on the good Doc.

She's a lost puppy, following him wherever he goes and he's not so sure how he feels about the notion. But gorram, every man at some point wants a puppy for his very own.


	4. Chapter 5

Diversions

By RingPrincess

It's the doc that comes up with the start of the plan. A bit surprising, I guess but it's still the start of a good plan.

"I'm thinking since we're unarmed. We should take them by surprise." He says.

Zoë speaks up to be a voice of reason, before we take on all the men at once with our bare hands. "Not necessarily. We can lure one or two of them away. Say infirmary? Take 'em out, be on Badger before he knows what happens." It's a good thought, but still needs work.

"Only if his attention's elsewhere. What we need's a diversion." I suggests, "I say Zoë gets nekkid."

Wash doesn't look up from his knees. "Nope."

"I could get nekkid." I smirk.

"No!"

Then crazy walks in, like I conjured her. Of course, I don't notice her first, Book does, but he was blocking the door.

Simon whispered something and she started going off until of course she attracted the attention of Badger, which is not good, since she's a fugie and well.

"Who's that then? Here, look at me. What's your story, love?"

"She's- just a – passenger." Simon starts, which of course isn't gonna make things any better than they already are. There just gonna make things worse. Doc don't know how to think on his feet; too proper.

"Yeah, why ain't she talkin'? She got a secret." He asks. Of course she does, everybody got plenty of secrets.

Moony, she tilts her head and smiles and if it ain't the purtiest smile I ever seen. "Sure, I got a secret." She says. "More than one. Don't seem likely I'd tell 'em to you now, do it? Anyone off of Titan colony knows better than to talk to strangers." She reached out and almost touched the shiny pin on his jacket, then ran a finger down his lapel, her head tilting. It had to be my imagination but she glances my way as if to tell me to get on with it. I stare at her stupefied. "You're talking loud enough for the both of us though, ain'tcha? I've known a dozen like you. Skipped off home early, running graft jobs here and there. Spent some time in the lock down, but less than you claim. And you're what? Petty thief with delusions of standing? Sad, little king of a sad, little hill." My eyes widened as I stare at her. How did she know all that? That, that was good. This family surely was getting' more and more surprisin'. Badger's face was turning interesting shapes of scared. She was hittin' too close to home, I guess.

"Nice to see someone from the old homestead." He grinned trying to gather his aplomb.

"Not really." She says as she rolls her eyes and turns away, brushing against Simon. "Call me if anyone interesting shows up."

"I like her." Badger says and I stare after her.

I look around to see all the crews doin' the same and I can't help it. "That there, exactly the kind of diversion we could have used." I says. Now if we only had the wit to act on it.

--

I run my knife down the whetstone again and Crazy enters the room. I knew she'd show up sooner or later.

"Tortoise." She says.

I glance up at her over the knife. "Was that?"

"Too slow, coulda freed the knight from the dungeon, but too slow."

"Where's your brother?"

She smiles. "Cleaning the infirmary, made a mess."

"Another diversion." I say and run the knife down the whetstone again.

"You won't act on this one either." She ran her fingers down the table. "Not ready yet." She smiles at me, loopy. "Tortoise, someday you'll figure out the use for them."


	5. Chapter 6

The Man with the Big Gun

By RingPrincess

Jayne swung in the harness and kept the laser site of his rifle right between the eyes of the _hun dan_ that presumed to be in charge of this little town. He could hear Mal going off below about something or other. The most he caught was that he didn't want to be here and it something about his will.

It was nice of Mal to point him out like that. It was true. He didn't want to be here. That girl and her brother were nothing but trouble. And if he had a lick of sense he'd instead of shooting the idiot of the town he'd shoot the two of them. But Mal wouldn't like that and he'd whine and complain and most likely leave him with the folks that had tied the girl to the post like a roast on a spit in the first place.

And she was all crazy and had them big brown eyes all trustin' like as those gorram cattle were all trustin' like and she was staring up at him and he wish she'd stop cause it was makin' him feel all big and noble. And he weren't big and noble. Well, he was big, but he weren't noble. He weren't no gorram hero. His chest weren't supposed to feel all warm and stuff, like he was wrapped in one of his ma's heavy knitted blankets.

And later when she stole the roll of his plate as if she was his younger sister rather than Simon's he let her and tried not to think about that warm feelin' from earlier but it was hard to be annoyed with it still churning about in his stomach. Just took another roll and focused on the food and ignored her when she whispered into his ear that she didn't want a knight in shining armor and cowboys were more interesting anyways. 'Cause she was just a crazy girl when it came down to it.


	6. Chapter 1

A/N: So the other day there was a conversation happening over at rayneshippers about this moment in Ariel. And well. I'd been thinking about writing a story about it for a while and decided to jump on it before anyone else could. So here's my rather quick take on what would of happened if this went our way.

The Spirit of the Holiday  
By RingPrincess

"And don't look in the closet either, it's greedy. It's not in the spirit of the holiday." River said with a choked half laugh.

Jayne glared at her. "You shut the hell up right now or so help me. I will shut you up."

River's eyebrows rose and her eyes looked at his hands cuffed behind his back and back to his angry face and decided his threat was idle. "And unlike Grinch there was no reformation."

Jayne's eyes narrowed. Did the girl not listen? He glanced at Simon, whose lips were twitching slightly in the urge to repress a smile. Given the dire situation they were in smiling at his sister's bratty antics wouldn't be appropriate. Jayne growled and looked back at the moonbrain.

River continued, "Just piles of coal until I was buried in it, dark and hard, couldn't move my hands or feet and the air was choked with dust."

The officers around them were staring but Jayne didn't care. He leaned in real close and gave it one last try. "Shut up."

She stared into his eyes and even as her mouth moved she thought that they looked like a clear winter sky, highly appropriate since it was December. "Could only wait for someone to dig me out." She really was done there, out of things to say but Jayne didn't know that. He kissed her, lips soft against hers despite his anger. River's eyes fluttered closed as his teeth scraped her bottom lip. She leans forward, his goatee scraping her chin and cheeks. Jayne's feelings tumbled through her, his anger, his confusion, and guilt at putting them in this situation, his enjoyment of her lips, soft and sweet under his. He pulled way all too soon for her. And she smiled, bright and beautiful just for him for a few seconds because kissing on the mouth was dangerous. And that was the beginning of everything.


End file.
